March Madness 2023 Elite Eight betting preview

The Elite 8 is set after a whirlwind of a Sweet 16. There were some big upsets and close games that came down to the wire. If you thought the Sweet 16 action was good, these Elite 8 games may be even better. There’s no time to waste making our picks as teams are getting just one day of rest between the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Strap in and let’s take a look at all four games that will go down this weekend.

Florida Atlantic shocked the world once again by beating Tennessee in the Sweet 16 handily. This is a team that you don’t want to face as this is the most momentum this team and school has had in their history. Kansas St. is not going to back down though and they themselves should be fired up after a wild overtime win against Michigan St. that was a battle.

This game has a shockingly low point spread of just two points favoring the Kansas St. Wildcats. If these two teams met during the regular season or earlier in the tournament certainly the spread would be much greater than it is at the moment.

A projected-points total of 144.5 seems high for FAU who has averaged just 68 points in the tournament so far and has held their opponents to 63 points on average. Not counting the 98 points Kansas St. put up in the Sweet 16 overtime game, Michigan St. averaged 76 in their first two games. The FAU defense could slow this Spartan attack a little bit.

The first thing that should jump out to everybody looking at these lines above is the projected-points total in this game. 153.5 projected points is insane but these teams can score with the best of them in college basketball. Gonzaga led the nation in points per game with a whopping 87 and UConn was 31st at 78.5. The highest points total line was 148 in the Sweet 16 for Xavier vs Texas.

Despite Gonzaga being snubbed for a No. 2 seed and beating the No. 2 UCLA last round, they are still the underdogs in this game. UConn has definitely had an easier path to get to the Elite 8 and are a four seed. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that UConn are the favorites looking at it from the outside. Do the oddsmakers know something we don’t?

A close shootout in this game is something that everyone wants to see and we could get it here in this Elite 8 matchup.

Two teams that not many people thought would be facing off in the Elite 8 will matchup in what is expected to be a close contest. Both of these teams have shocked everyone by getting this far, and especially San Diego State. The Aztecs took down a lot of people’s favorites to win the tournament, Alabama, in the Sweet 16 by seven. It was an easier matchup on paper for Creighton against Princeton and they took care of business despite the defensive prowess of the Tigers.

133.5 points for the total in this game is a low line when looking at another Elite 8 game such as Gonzaga and UConn who are slated at 153.5. Creighton showed they could score on a good defensive team in Princeton as they put up 85+ points for the second time in the tournament. San Diego St. has relied more on their defense but still scored 71 or more twice in the first three games. 133.5 seems too low.

Two statements were made by these teams in the Sweet 16. Texas wanted to show everyone that they should have been a No. 1 seed and will dominate any team in their way. Miami showed that they can not only take down a No. 1 team, but blow them out. This game between these two teams should be a battle.

151 points to hit the over is a lot of points but these two can make it happen. Texas and Miami both have two games of 81 or more points and Miami just scored 89 on Houston to knock them out of the tournament.

The Longhorns are fairly big favorites for an Elite 8 game but this should be a close contest that comes down to the end. Look for a lot of scoring and a competitive game the whole way.